Go Away Gray!!!

While I was blow-drying my hair today (and thinking how MUCH gray I have) I began thinking about how many of my (young)friends have to color their hair to cover over the gray. I have had gray hair since I was a young teenager and had to start coloring it to cover the gray when I was about 20. I am on a mission now...I want to research and find out just why it is that some of us turn gray SO early. I'm sure some of it is genetics, but is that it or is it something we are doing (or not doing?) Everyone associates gray hair with "old" but when people in their early twenties are turning gray, you certainly can't call them old! So, if any of you know anything about this...please do tell. Otherwise, I will be researching the subject and will let you know what I find out!

Okay, I did my research and I decided to just attach it to this post from yesterday rather than create a new one. It's rather boring---what I found out. Apparently, we can't blame ANY of our gray on our kids or husbands or stress. It's pretty much ALL our parent's faults! ha ha Anyway, here is my mini-research paper on gray hair.

Contrary to popular belief, gray hair is not always related to ones age. Gray hair can occur as young as in our teens and continue on throughout our lives.

Everybody is different, but the pigment of our hair is generated in the same way. The cells in our hair follicles generate a pigment called Melanin. This gives our hair its "Color". when these cells stop producing the pigment the result is transparent hair. The transparent hair agaisnt your healthier, darker hair gives the appearance of gray. In reality, the hair is not gray but transparent.

The main reason for our hair behaving this way is heredity. If your mom or dad started going gray at a young age then the chances are you may also suffer from premature gray hair. As we get older the cells in our hair start producing less pigment until there is no pigment at all in the hair.

While age does play a large part in the graying process, there are other factors that can change the pigmentation of hair, making it lighter or darker. Scientists have divided them by intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external).
Intrinsic factors include: Genetic defects, hormones, body distribution and age.
Extrinsic factors include: Climate, pollutants, toxins, chemical exposure.

Here are some hair-raising facts I discovered:

* An average scalp has 100,000-150,000 hairs.

* Hair is so strong that each hair can withstand the strain of 100 grams (3.5 oz). An average head of hair could hold 10-15 tons if only the scalp was strong enough!

* Human hair grows autonomously, that is each hair is on its own individual cycle. If all our hair were on the same cycle, we would molt!

* Hair has the highest rate of mitosis (cell division). An average hair grows 0.3 mm a day and 1 cm per month.

So, not all that interesting. Nothing I found cited stress as a cause of gray hair, which really surprised me. Usually stress "hurts" all parts of our being...but I guess not our hair. Anyway, hope you found this to be a little enlightening!

What's your problem?

Interesting title? Well you can thank my 2 year old son because this is his new "phrase of the day." I am not sure exactly where he heard it or why he picked it up, but all day he has been asking "what's your problem?" It's kinda funny but after I read a couple of my friends blog entries today who had terrible days because of someone else's rudeness (www.craftylildevil.blogspot.com and www.logziella.blogspot.com) I think he has a valid question. What is everybody's problem these days? Do people not have enough things to keep them busy in their own lives that they have to meddle in other peoples? It does seem like almost everyone walks around with a chip on their shoulder, just looking for someone else doing something imperfect so they can pounce on them and their self-esteem. (read this in the voice of Dory from Finding Nemo) Hellooooooooooo! Youuuuuu neeeeeeeed tooooo get a llllllllife!!! What's sad is even some Christians are this way...just waiting to see which of their fellow believers is going to make a mistake and give them something juicy to gossip about. Ugh! Yuk! Doesn't God tell us to pluck the plank out of our own eye before we try to go and pluck the sliver out of our neighbor's? And I believe He also said, "Let he who is without blame, cast the first stone." Uh..you won't see me picking any stones up. I am certainly not perfect, but I do at least believe that, for the most part, we are all striving for the same goal...to live happy, peaceful lives and raise our children up in the best possible way. So why so much dissension? United we stand, divided we fall!

Drumroll please..........

Okay, it's weigh-in day and after one week......I am down 4 pounds! I logged my starting weight at 147 and this morning I weighed 143. I should be excited, I know...and I am. But here's a little secret: I cheated and weighed a day early (yesterday morning) and I weighed 142! yay! BUT then I ate horribly all day yesterday and didn't get any exercise at all and now it looks like I might have gained a pound back! EEEK! I know weight fluctuates though depending on water-weight, clothing, time of day, etc...so I won't take it too seriously. I just definitely don't want to cheat anymore. It was not worth it---when I've worked so hard all week. So anyway, those of you who are doing this with me...let me know how you've done! ---and don't be discouraged if the numbers haven't changed much yet...somtimes (usually) it takes a little while for your body to adapt to these changes. You have to give it at LEAST 2 weeks before you can really say "this isn't working." okay?
Well, time for me to get to work...just wanted to give you all a quick update.

Children listen to what we say, but they learn from what we do!

That is one of my all-time favorite quotes and I have it posted on my desk but haven't read it in a while. For some reason, tonight while I was working, my eyes were drawn to it and I took a minute to think about it and how it applies to my life. I have to admit, it makes me cringe rather than feel proud---that my children are learing from what I do more than from what I say! I watched Dr. Phil the other day and he was telling a mother something that I thought was a really good point. He said we tell our children not to do something and then get mad at them for forgetting and doing it anyway but aren't there things in your life (for instance a quick temper, over-eating, yelling) that you tell yourself your not going to do anymore and then before you know it...there you are doing that very thing!? He said, "You can't expect to hold a 5 year old to a higher standard than you do yourself." Wow! That was what I needed to hear. Sometimes I am SO hard on Brooklyn..when she is only being human---and 5. Anyway, just wanted to share that with you all. Maybe it will help someone else out there see things in a different perspective. Love you all!!!

Miscellaneous (boy that's a hard word to spell)

Here's an update for those of you who are following my dieting/exercising: I've been doing good and staying within my 1200 cal. guidelines. For exercise today, I did an 8 minute Tae-Bo video 2 times and cleaned my whole house. All I had for lunch today was half an apple with a little peanut butter so that was good. I've also been drinking LOTS of water. I haven't weighed myself yet, not until Monday morning, but I think I have probably dropped at least 1 pound. How about any of you...? Are you guys still keeping with it? Just think of it this way, October 20th (goal date) will be here before you know it whether you do this with me or not so you might as well do it and be 15 pounds thinner.
Okay, onto a different subject: I never have updated you all on what's going on with Brooklyn's sleeping/fear problems. Well, like I had mentioned, Matt and I saw some counselors at our church a few weeks ago and they gave us some suggestions. One of the things I asked them was what they thought about us putting a lock on her door to keep her in her room. They suggested that we just lock our door instead so as to enforce that we need privacy rather than "control" her. So that is what we've started doing and it is working beautifully!! The first few nights were a little rough for her. She'd come to our door in the middle of the night and beg to come in and be crying and all worked up. I would get up and take her back to her bed and tuck her back in. We went through this several times each night, but now (after about 2 weeks) she still comes to our door throughout the night, but I just tell her to go back to bed and she says okay and does it! I can't believe something as simple as this worked, but so far, so good. As a matter of fact, she seems to be a lot less scared in general now. Praise the Lord! She actually drove the gator (Grant's John Deer tractor thing) down to my mom and dad's house the other day to get me some potatoes all by herself...which is a BIG accomplishment. I haven't really taken the time to think about it before now...but she has really made some major improvements. God is so good and so faithful!
One last thing before I end this post...A few weeks ago I told you all that I thought I might be pregnant. I had taken a pregnancy test and it was negative but I had all the signs including a missed period. Well, about a week ago, I ended up buying another test to double check and it said negative too. Now it is time for my monthly-visitor again and it looks like "she" just stopped in for a quick visit. I had "it" for about half the day yesterday(morning)...and now (for the last 24 hours) nothing, so I am not sure what that means. Hopefully it means that my IUD has "kicked in" and has eliminated the need for my body to do "that" anymore...!? It just sorta freaks me out since the ONLY time in my entire life that I have missed a period is when I WAS pregnant. "It" has always come like clock-work in the past and I could pretty much pin-point to the day when I'd get "it"----every 28 days, exactly. So--this is weird, but I don't want to spend any more money on pregnancy tests. I guess if I feel something kicking around in there in a few months...I'll know! ha ha...JUST KIDDING! If I REALLY, REALLY thought I could be, I'd go see the doctor or something. It's just a teeny-tiny thought in the back of my mind right now. What do you guys think from what I've told you?
Okay, well, I think Matt is in the other room waiting on me so I better go for now. My grandma (from California) is coming to visit tonight and she'll be here for the next 2 weeks so that will be FUN. I love having her around. We are going to try to convince her to move here too.
Well, have a good night everyone!

words of wisdom....funny but true

I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

He who angers you, controls you!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to......discourage him.

just a speed bump...

For all of you who aren't "dieting" with me...this will probably be a boring post, so you might want to skip it. For those of you who are, I have a confession to make. I ate 4 cookies tonight. Not little Famous Amos cookies either....4 homemade warm oatmeal/raisin/chocolate chip cookies! AUGH!! But before you say "tsk, tsk, tsk" at me...you have to hear the whole story. It started out so innocently with a quick trip to the library. I actually went in to see if I could rent some Tae Bo videos so I could work out at home. But...as I walked in, they had a magazine rack with magazines marked .10 cents each. Well, I've been wanting September's issue of Better Homes & Gardens but couldn't bring myself to pay the $3.99 price tag but THERE it WAS--for only .10 cents. Woo-hoo, I was so excited. I got 2 more decorating magazines and spent a total of .30 cents. Then I got home, I mowed our whole acre(on the riding mower) while the kids played outside. After that, I was hot and sweaty so we jumped in the pool. Then it was time for Grant's nap so I put him in bed and then went back outside to lay out for a little while. I grabbed my new magazine and got comfy. I looked through the whole magazine and the only thing that caught my eye in the whole thing was this cookie recipe. Well, we ended up grilling chicken for dinner (with Barbeque sauce) and having my parents over so I thought I'd make these cookies for dessert. Well, the first batch still looked runny when the timer went off so I let them cook another 5 minutes. Then I took them out and tasted one to see what I thought. Too dry. So the next batch, I took out when the timer went off and once they cooled, they were perfect, but of course, I had to taste one to know that! ha ha The 3rd batch came out perfectly too...except for it was the last of the batter and looked ugly and didn't have any chocolate chips left so I ate those 2 too! 4 in all. All I can hope is that they aren't too fattening. I only used 1/3 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. regular sugar. It was mostly oatmeal. Anyway, besides that, I did really good today. I ate mini blue-berry muffins for breakfast (160 cal), then dropped the kids off at school and went to the gym and did 2 aerobics classes (1 1/2 hr.). At about 2:30 pm, I realized I hadn't eaten anything since my muffins at 8 am, so I ate a hotdog---all by itself. Not the healthiest, I know...but we are getting low on groceries. For supper, I made mashed potatoes, okra and corn on the cob to go with our grilled chicken.
Anyhow, that's how it went for me today. How about all of you? Are you keeping with it? Write me a comment and let me know! We are gonna look SO GOOD by the end of October!!! Oooh Baby!!!

Off to an OK start...

So, a few days ago I posted that I was going to officially start losing weight again. This is how things have gone since then. Monday morning I ate oatmeal, 1 peice of toast, 1/4 c. skim milk and water for breakfast totaling 225 calories. Then for lunch I had a salad with turkey, tomato, green pepper, croutons and light Ranch dressing with 5 saltines. Then I shared an apple with the kids dipped in 1 tbsp. of peanut butter. Total calories for lunch=380. Doing good...until our power went out that afternoon and the healthy dinner I had planned to cook didn't happen. We ended up going out to a Mexican resturant. I shared Matt's meal with him and ate some chips and salsa/queso. I know I didn't stay under my 1200 calories that day, but I tried at least. I also push-mowed for about 1 1/2 hours and vacummed the house and did several loads of laundry.
On Tuesday, I ate a pkg. of mini-blueberry muffins for breakfast with Diet Dr. Pepper (total calories 160). We went to Chili's for lunch and I ordered the Guiltless Chicken and Veggie plate at 580 calories. I only ate about 3/4 of it though so I am only counting 400 of those calories. At 5:30 pm I went to the gym and did 2 aerobics classes (1 1/2 hours). Then I came home and fixed bacon, potatoes, eggs and biscuits for dinner. I had 1 egg, 2 bacon, 2 buscuits and 1 cup of potatoes, 1 tbsp. butter. and light cranberry juice (approx. 600 calories), so total calories for day somewhere around 1160. YAY!
Today, so far, I have had 2 peice of toast (90 cal) 1 tbsp. butter and 1 bacon for breakfast. (I'm guessing about 200 cal). For lunch I ate the left overs from yesterdays lunch (180 cal) and a small bowl of fruity-cheerios w/ skim milk (160 cal).
I am also doing 30 boy-push ups every day and 100 crunches. Some of you have asked how/what I am doing to lose this weight...so this is it.
I feel like one of the keys is Don't give up just because you messed up!!! Somedays, I will blow it. I will be too tempted and will give in...I already know this. But that doesn't mean I have to quit my whole weight loss plan. I just work extra hard the next week to make up for that mistake, maybe work out a little more. You have to allow yourself some "treats" occasionlly, just don't go overboard. Also, it is very easy to look up the calorie count for foods online. I like to use www.fitday.com. Another tip: Don't overlook the small stuff. This refers to the little bit of your child's brownie or the little handful of fries you ate from their happy meal. It also refers to the little bits of exercise you do throught the day. No mom/wife would argue....cleaning the house is WORK! and running after little kids is WORK. But, there are things you can do to make even those things more of a work-OUT. One of my favorites is to turn the radio up real loud (usually kids praise music or hip-hop) and DANCE! I'm talking BOOGIE till you sweat! It's a great work out, your kids will LOVE it and if your husband is anything like mine--he'll enjoy the show from the couch where he is laying! ha ha Also, get some weights in your hands (I use 5 lb.) and do lunges all around the house. You can have your kids follow behind you like a "train". Lunges are great for your hips and butt and legs, just be sure to keep your stride wide, so you don't let your knee on the leg that is in front go past your toe.
Also, here is a little list of some of my favorite low-cal snacks: Lowfat cheese-its (30 for 130 cal), Hunts sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding (60 cal), cinnamon applesauce (80 cal) and one of my favorites, Fun-Pops (20 cal).
I will keep you all posted on my progress and keep sharing more tips with you as I think of them. You guys keep me updated on your progress too, okay? It helps a LOT to know that some friends are doing it with you!
Ps. Thanks to my friend, Kandy, for teaching me everything that I know about health and fitness. You're the best girl!!

Our upstairs is moving right along! They sheet-rocked yesterday and did the taping and bedding today. Friday they will spray on the texture and then our hard-wood floors will go down the first of next week! Yay! 

i AM a loser!!!

That is a confession by the way. In this post the word 'loser' refers to losing weight. I have been stuck around 145 forever it seems but lately, I've put on a couple of pounds and I VOW to NEVER have to change the scale over to the 150 again (on old-timey scales like we have at the gym and dr. office)which means I better take control QUICK! I'm probably only a pound or two away from 150 right now so it's back on the losing track for me. I figure I've got another couple of months before I have to start wearing jeans so that gives me just enough time to lose 15 pounds so they'll fit nicely. 2 months=8 weeks so @ 2 lbs./week = 16 pounds!!! Who wants to do it with me? Just think by October 20th, you could be SIXTEEN pounds lighter! It will be so much easier if I can get a group of my friends to do this with me and we can all encourage each other and hold one another accountable!! Each night, I will try to post my calorie count for the day and my exercise log so you can see what I am doing. There is no doubt I can do this and I have no doubt that you can too. It's just two months worth of dedication and will be WAYYYYYY worth it! So come on! Leave me a comment if you're gonna join me, okay!? I am getting excited already just thinking about it.
By the way, here is my plan: I am going to limit myself to no more than 1200 calories/day and exercise at least some every day. My goal is to walk on my treadmill, mow the yard or go to aerobics every day (one of the 3). I will also start doing 30 push ups/day, 100 crunches on my exercise ball/day and a few other stationary exercises. I will also up my water intake as much as possible although I am NOT a big drinker but it really helps to fill me up. If nothing else, I will try to make myself drink a whole glass of water before each meal to take up some room. I will not weigh myself more than once a week (even though it's tempting to do it every day--its depressing when you don't see the numbers go down right away---and they won't. But, after a week, you should see something.)
So, that's it. I hope you'll join me and be 15 pounds lighter in 2 months. What have you got to lose?

Enjoy all the cute pictures from our trip to the Jasmine Moran Children's museum in Seminole, Oklahoma. It was worth the trip for sure. The kids had so much fun and Matt and I did too...we just wished we could have played more! ha ha 

This is a view from the train ride. It goes about a 1/2 mile and you get to really see the whole park this way.  

One of the outdoor play areas. There were several and some of the nicest I have ever seen. (you can see Brooklyn hanging upside down on the bars behind him). 

Matt playing in the wheelchair. They had a ramp built all different terrains (rocks, bricks) so you could see how it would feel to try to 'drive' a wheelchair across them. It's harder work than it looks! 

Order in the court!! ha ha...Look at how mad Brooklyn is because I stole the judge's spot!! spoiled???  

Notice how much happier she looks now that she is the judge?? ha ha 

Matt putting on a puppet show for the kids. 

Meet Brooklyn, news anchor and Grant, chief meteorologist. 

Inside the cockpit of a real airplane. We couldn't believe how many switches and knobs there were! 

Dinosaur fossils...how cool! 

Here the kids are digging for dinosaur bones. 

Matt and me being the "students". 

Matt and Grant were being the "students" in Brooklyn's class. 

Brooklyn being the teacher at the school-house. 

What a handsome fireman he is! 

Riding in the Fire Engine. 

What a cute cashier she is! 

Grant is the customer this time and Brooklyn is the cashier. 

Brooklyn and Grant at the make-believe Homeland shopping with their child-sized carts.  

Matt going down the slide. I guess we're all just big kids at heart! 

Dr. Jones showing us an x-ray of someone's pelvis.  

This was really neat. As you pedaled on the stationary bike, the skeleten (Dr. Bones) pedals in sync with you so you can see what your bones look like "in motion." 

The Ambulance Drivers. 

Slow Dance More

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Don't know why I haven't heard this song before...but I love it!

Current Events:

For those of you familiar with JBF, you will understand what I mean when I sing "She work's hard for the money!" I've been trying to "get it together" for about 3 weeks now but I couldn't find hangers anywhere...which is why my kids clothes are laying in heaps in the floor of their closets. I had to steal all their hangers. Not that they care, I think they like the idea of just throwing their clean clothes in a pile in the floor instead of hanging them all up nice and neat! ha ha

In other news, after a brief complaint from Brooklyn of a sore throat and earache this morning, I made her a last minute dr. appointment for this afternoon. Once there, we found out she had strep throat and an ear infection so I had them swab Grant's throat to check him and sure enough, he has strep too! I was just SO surprised since neither of them has really been complaining (more than normal anyway). Praise God that I was able to get them in today instead of having to wait until Monday! Maybe we caught it early enough that they didn't really feel too much pain.

Also, my grandpa passed away on Wednesday. It was pretty tragic since he hadn't been ill or anything. On Tuesday, he just fell (we aren't sure why--maybe a stroke or heart attack??) but he hit his head and I guess was bleeding pretty badly. My sister, who was there with him, took him to the hospital where they said he was bleeding on his brain and really there was nothing they could do. He passed away the following night. I haven't seen him in nearly 10 years (except at my grandma's funeral about 3 years ago) so it's not terribly saddning for me. Actually, I think he will be much happier to be with my grandma again and in heaven. About 3 months ago, he rededicated his life to God and got baptized. I told my mom...that is what you call "Blessed Assurance!" Last night, I was on the phone talking with my mom, who is staying at his house, and she told me that a few months ago when her and my dad were there, she was going through the house dusting and when she came to a particular picture of my grandma that was sitting beside his bed, she picked it up to dust it off and she had noticed that the whole picture was dusty except for two little lines on top of her lips...where he had been kissing her goodnight! She dusted it before she comprehended what the little lip-marks were. Anyway, last night she was back in his room and she said the picture was just as dusty as it had been months earlier...except for the kiss mark...it was back! Isn't that just the sweetest thing ever? She is going to put that picture in the coffin with him and think that is exactly where it belongs.

Grant starts preschool on Tuesday and I am excited about that. We missed the "Meet Your Teacher" thing which was this morning. For some reason, I thought it was on Sunday, so I was pretty bummed that we missed it, but it probably wouldn't have been good to have him there around all the kids since he has strep throat anyway. I just hope when I take him on Tuesday morning...he doesn't freak out since he won't know the teacher or any of the kids or even what is going on.

Well, that is about it for now. Hope you all have a great weekend! Keep your cool!

Just in Case...

Apparently, sometimes my posts can be misconstrued and taken in the wrong way. If any of you have ever gotten the impression that my husband doesn't do "anything" around here, please forgive me. He is a very hard worker and good provider. Sometimes I talk about doing "everything" (such as in the post titled 'I just can't keep up') and I should be sure to mention that he works a LOT of hours at his job and even though I have been mowing a lot lately, it is PURELY my choice. I want to mow because it is good exercise for me, helps my tan and lets me be outside with the kids while they play. He would gladly do the mowing if I didn't always tell him to leave it for me.
Hope that clears everything up, honey! I love you and never mean to put you down or make you seem anything but wonderful on this website. Thank you for loving me back!

Where is the mute button?

How many of you have seen the movie "Click"? Adam Sandler is given a universal remote...which controls his universe, literally. Well, I'd just like to have a remote with one button....Mute. Lately, it seems like my children (namely Brooklyn) are louder than EVER! Actually with her, it's not just the volume, it's the 'continuous play'. She NEVER stops making some kind of noise. If I tell her to stop talking, she starts singing. If I tell her to stop singing, she starts humming. If I tell her not to make any more sounds, she'll start clapping, stomping her feet and hitting whatever is in front of her like a drum. The girl is rhythmically gifted, no doubt...but the lack of quiet in my life is about to get to me. I have no idea why, but she asks us (all 3 of us) how old we are probably 20+ times a day. Sweet Grant...he's so oblivious, he'll just answer "me two" as many times as she asks him---over and over and over. She also wants to know how old the dog is and is desperate to understand the concept of dog-years/people years. I really don't think there is any underlying reason to her asking our ages other than the fact that she feels the need to be in constant communication with us and when she runs out of stuff to say...she just asks us that. At night when we are trying to put her to bed, she constantly says, "I just need to ask you a question" as her excuse for getting up out of her bed for the zillionth time...but when we say "what?" You can tell by the blank stare on her face that there is no question and whatever she is about to say JUST popped into her head---usually some kind of complete non-sense. Anyway, I hate it that I get so exasperated with her over this. I used to be so patient...once upon a time. Maybe all 5 year olds are like this??? Sometimes we actually get into really mature, interesting conversations and I LOVE that....but this constant chatter wears on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. It's not so bad ALL the time, but when I'm trying to read, watch TV or work, it's bad. So, if any of you have any suggestions, let me know! I don't want to do or say anything to make her think I don't like her, but telling her to "JUST BE QUIET FOR FIVE MINUTES" all the time seems awfully mean.
***She's sleeping right now and I must say, she looks like an angel. Maybe it's the soft curls all around her face and spilling onto her pillow, maybe it's the slight flush to her cheeks that has them rosy and pink and seems to make her face glow or maybe it's the fact that the only thing coming from her mouth is the faintest sound of soft, peaceful breathing...who knows!??! :o)

This is the art niche that our contractor had built for me. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with it yet...but I know it will be a fun spot to "decorate." It has a light in the top of it. Maybe I will use it to showcase my lil' artist's masterpieces...!?